CelluloidKid

_Holiday Affair_ (1949) Comes to DVD: November 11, 2008 *A new group of timeless film favorites will bring extra sparkle to* *the holidays with the introduction of _Warner Bros. Classic Holiday_* *_Collection Volume 2_. This latest group of highly requested titles* *which are finally making their DVD debut includes _All Mine to Give_,* *_Holiday Affair_ and _It Happened on 5th Avenue_ along with a special* *bonus disc _Blossoms in the Dust_. The films will be available both as a* *festive boxed gift set for $29.98 SRP and individually for $19.97* *(Blossoms in the Dust will only be included as part of the collection).*

*_The Shocking Miss Pilgrim_ (1947) was Marilyn Monroe's film debut! She played a Telephone Operator & was uncredited!*

*_Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo_ Wil Be shown on TCM* *Sunday, Aug 31, @ 9:00am (PT) Arizona Time!* *Stars: Robert Mitchum, Spencer Tracy, Van Johnson, Robert Walker.* *Directed by: Mervyn LeRoy.* *In 1942, 131 days after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, an American force retaliated, bombing the major Japanese cities of Tokyo and Yokohama. This picture, a quasi-documentary re-creation of that event, was authored by one of the survivors of the raid, Ted Lawson (played here by Van Johnson). Since land bases near the target are unavailable--and in-flight refueling techniques undeveloped--a dangerous, untried tactic must be employed for the top-secret mission: for the first time in history, twin-engine bombers are to take off from the deck of an aircraft carrier. Because the planes are too large to land on a carrier deck, after the attack they must continue on to mainland China--occupied by the Japanese--and then make their way to Allied-held territory as best they can. Weeks of preparation and training take place before the aircraft and their crews are finally loaded aboard the USS Hornet. Following a final shipboard briefing by mission leader Lt. Col. Jimmmy Doolittle (Spencer Tracy), the fliers man their twin-engine Mitchell bombers and are catapulted from the flight deck. The remainder of the film follows the adventures of Lawson's crew only. A well-made war film, _THIRTY SECONDS OVER TOKYO_ was sufficiently accurate to prompt all the real-life principals to approve the use of their names in the picture. Screenwriter Dalton Trumbo wisely elected not to attempt to alter the limited perspective of Lawson's memoir by including more of the details of the famous raid. In the actual event, all 16 participating bombers made it to China, although three men died in crashes and eleven others were captured by the Japanese, who executed three of them. Although top-billed, Tracy's appearance here is basically a cameo, with Johnson the real star of the film.* Thanks, Tv-now

*_Joan Crawford on TCM in September 2008!!_* *September 7* *Harriet Craig. 6:30am.* *September 15* *The Women. 8pm.* *September 17* *The Gorgeous Hussy. 5:45am.* *September 24* *Flamingo Road. 2:45am.* *September 26* *The Caretakers. 3:45pm*. *All times are Eastern. Please check local listings!*

Kurt Russell was in _The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes_ W./Cesar Romero! *NEW STAR: Cesar Romero!*

*Kay Francis - Nickname - The Queen of Warners* Thu, Sep 4, 8:00 PM Raffles Thu, Sep 4, 9:15 PM Jewel Robbery Thu, Sep 4, 10:30 PM One Way Passage Thu, Sep 4, 11:45 PM Divorce Fri, Sep 5, 1:00 AM Man Wanted Fri, Sep 5, 2:15 AM Women Are like That Fri, Sep 5, 3:45 AM Comet over Broadway Fri, Sep 5, 5:00 AM I Loved a Woman Fri, Sep 5, 6:45 AM Living on Velvet Thu, Sep 11, 8:00 PM Trouble in Paradise Thu, Sep 11, 9:30 PM Cynara Thu, Sep 11, 11:00 PM A Notorious Affair Fri, Sep 12, 12:15 AM The Feminine Touch Fri, Sep 12, 2:00 AM Street of Women Fri, Sep 12, 3:00 AM Give Me Your Heart Fri, Sep 12, 4:30 AM Stolen Holiday Fri, Sep 12, 6:00 AM Mary Stevens, M.D. Fri, Sep 12, 7:15 AM The Passion Flower Fri, Sep 12, 8:45 AM Another Dawn Fri, Sep 12, 10:00 AM The Goose and the Gander Fri, Sep 12, 11:15 AM House on 56th Street *All Time are Eastern! Please, chedck local listings!.!* *_Kay Francis - Her Story_* *Paramount really didn?t know what to do with Kay. From 1929-32, she appeared in 18 films, billed anywhere from second to seventh, and visible on screen for an average of 12 minutes. On loan-out for Notorious Affair (1930), Warner Brothers took note of her assets and offered her a lucrative contract. Kay accepted and finally got the star treatment she deserved. Her stock sky-rocketed in popular features such as _One Way Passage_, _House on 56th Street_, _Mandalay_, and _I Found Stella Parish_. Fans flocked to see the grace, sophistication and elegance that Kay brought to what were essentially tear-jerkers targeted for female audiences. The box-office disappointment _The White Angel_ (1936) (Florence Nightingale?s story) curtailed Kay's ambitions for meatier assignments. Of course, there was no meat to be had in the hackneyed story. Before shooting, Kay?s diary noted, "Read my new script. Dear God!" Her performance was hampered by British advisors and censors on the set who made sure she paid reverent "homage" to England?s icon.* *Kay Francis was the highest paid actress in Hollywood in 1937-38. By then, Kay had roosted as _Queen of Warners_ for five years. In 1937, _Kay and Errol Flynn were the only two Warner stars who figured into the survey of Hollywood?s top box-office attractions_. Later that year, Kay took Warners to court when they reneged on a promise to give her the lead in Tovarich. To have their highest paid star Kay Francis protest was just too much for Jack and Harry Warner. The brothers fought back with a vengeance. The Hollywood Community watched in shock as Kay?s career took a sudden nose-dive and she became labeled box-office poison. Out the ashes of Kay?s departure rose Bette Davis who took over roles purchased for Kay in _Dark Victory_, _The Sisters_, and the only role Warners had purchased for Kay at her request, Empress Carlotta, in _Juarez_. The acquisition of Francis "turf" helped redefine Davis' career. Davis also had her hungry eye on Kay?s two-story cottage-style dressing room, which she immediately acquired after Kay moved to one room in the Featured Players Building. Kay told reporters at the time that she "couldn?t wait to be forgotten," and left behind a legacy as the Glamorous Martyr of Warner Brothers.* *_Kay Francis - Trivia_* *Her customary breakfast at the studio was a ham sandwich, a pickle and ice cream.* *Once, years after her heyday, Kay encountered her former Warner Bros. rival, Bette Davis. When Bette asked why Francis had tolerated such abuse from Jack L. Warner, Kay responded, "I didn't give a damn. I wanted the money." Davis commented, "I didn't. I wanted the career."* *She made sixty-eight films in seventeen years.* *The bulk of her $1 million estate was left to The Seeing Eye foundation to train guide dogs for the blind. Her bequest was based on the simple reason that she considered loss of sight the worst of all possible fates to befall anyone. Her bequest accounts for 75% of the organization's annual costs.* *She was born on Friday the 13th, 1905.* *Her fourth film at Warner's _One Way Passage_ was a huge box office success. It's one of the great weepers of the thirties.* Thanks, Diva!

*Typical studio set up, with the large "hot lights" and cumbersome sheet film camera.* *Tom Sr. with Lana Turner.*

*_Bob Hope Films on TCM in September 2008:_* Monday, September 8, 2008 @ 1:45 PM - _Bachelor in Paradise_ Friday, September 12, 2008 @ 3:45 PM - _Here Come the Girls_ *All Times Eastern*!

Michael Gough was in the film _Berserk!_ W./ Joan Crawford! *NEW STAR: Joan Crawford!*

*Did You Know........* Approximately 8,500 animals are seen in the 5-time Oscar winner _Around the World in Eighty Days_ (1956)!

Greer Garson was in the film _When Ladies Meet_ W./Joan Crawford! *NEW STAR: Joan Crawford!*

*Not even W./a Cast that includes Ellen Burstyn, James Cromwell, Richard Dreyfuss, Jason Ritter & Josh Brolin will get me into a theater to see this film!*

*Per Wikipedia:* Jeanne Eagels (June 26, 1890 ? October 3, 1929) was an actress on Broadway and in several motion pictures. She was a former Ziegfeld Follies Girl who went on to greater fame on Broadway and in the emerging medium of "talkies" (films with sound). She was posthumously considered for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her 1929 role in _The Letter_ after dying suddenly that year at the age of 39. _That nomination was not only the first posthumous Oscar consideration for any actor, male or female; it was also the first time any woman had been considered for a posthumous Oscar in any competitive category_ Just before she was to return to the Broadway stage in a new play, Eagels died suddenly at a private hospital in New York City on 3 October 1929 at the age of 39. Medical examiners disagreed on the exact cause of death, toxicology not being the science it is today, but the available evidence pointed to the effects of alcohol or heroin. After services in New York, Eagels received a second funeral service when her body was returned to Kansas City, where she was buried in Calvary Cemetery. She was survived by her mother, Julia Eagles, and several brothers and sisters. The story of her death was covered by a young crime reporter named Samuel Fuller, later a noted film writer and director. *When her estate went through probate, it was worth an estimated $52,000 (approximately $562,000 in 2005 dollars) after her debts and funeral costs were deducted. Dying intestate, the estate went to her mother. A wake was held at Campbell's funeral home in New York City, the same establishment that had handled Rudolph Valentino's funeral. Reportedly, her movie "_Jealousy_" was playing across the street from the funeral home as she lay in her casket, finally at peace. Her body was sent to Kansas City, where a Catholic mass and requiem was held, and she was laid to rest wither her father and a brother.* Eagels was posthumously nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in _The Letter_, but the Oscar went to Mary Pickford for the film _Coquette_. Eagels' performance in this film inspired many actors new to the medium of talking pictures, including Bette Davis, who repeated the role in the 1940 remake of the film. *Also take a LQQk at:* *Jeanne Eagels* *Jeanne Eagels (1890-1929) was one of the greatest actresses of the early 20th Century.* www.jeanneeagels.com *Trivia:* *Her two sound films, "_The Letter_" and "_Jealousy_," were both remade with Bette Davis (the Davis version of "Jealousy" was retitled "_Deception_"). Davis also played a character loosely based on Eagels in her 1935 film "_Dangerous_".* *_Also:_* Jeanne Eagels (1890-1929) was one of the greatest actresses of the early 20th Century. Open any comprehensive book on the Broadway stage or film of the 1920s and you will almost certainly see references to the "legendary Jeanne Eagels" and her death at age 39 from a drug overdose. What makes her legendary as an actress, however, is rarely described in depth. She is justifiably remembered for creating the character of Sadie Thompson, the floozy stranded in Pago Pago in the John Colton/Clemence Randolph play "_Rain_." This play ran on Broadway for over 648 performances, still one of the record holders for longevity 80 years later. During its Broadway run, Eagels missed only an estimated 18-28 performances, which testifies to her stamina, if not her commitment to acting. Nationwide, Eagels was seen in "Rain" by over 1 million theater-goers.

*Jeanne Eagels- stage/silent film actress. Drugs (1890-1929)*

*Jeanne Eagels* *_Per Find A Grave:_* *Actress. Born Jeanne Eagles in Boston, Massachusetts in 1894. Then, at age 2, she moved with her family to Kansas City, Missouri where she often appeared in Kansas City pageants, festivals, etc. Eagles worked at the Emery Bird Thayer department store as a cashier in her early teens, having quit school. By 1911 she was in New York and had bleached her brown hair blond. She also changed the spelling of her name from Eagles to Eagels because she thought it looked better in lights. She got a role on Broadway right away in "Jumping Jupiter" and consistently got better parts in plays until she was a leading lady. In 1922, Eagels? role as Sadie Thompson in "Rain" took Broadway by storm. The critics hailed her portrayal as sensational. In August 1925 she appeared in "Rain" in Kansas City and thousands welcomed her back home. In 1929, MGM signed her to a contract to make her film debut in "The Letter", which won her an Academy Award nomination. Eagles died on October 03, 1929, without ever knowing if she won or not. She was portrayed by actress Kim Novak in the movie, "Jeanne Eagels" (1957).* (bio by: Bill Walker)

*American film actor Robert Mitchum looks unimpressed as a goat eats his birthday cake from his chair at his 41st birthday party. August 1958*

Jailhouse Rock

*There was also the film _W_ (1974) directed by Richard Quine, staring Dirk Benedict, Mel Ferrer, Michael Witney, Eugene Roche, and Twiggy!* *Within 24-hours, three near-death accidents have occurred. At the scene of each, the letter "W" was scrawled over the injured person*.

*I forgot to add: _Two for the Road_ (1967) W./Audrey Hepburn & Albert Finney!*